American History Since 1877 - HIST 122 Resource Guide

In 1914 war broke out in Europe and rapidly spread across the globe. Although the United States had strong cultural ties with the European powers, President Woodrow Wilson was not prepared to take his country into the war. The European conflict was viewed as a product of European imperial expansion, and it was felt that to give overt support or to enter the war on any one side might create unrest.

As Europe went to war in the summer of 1914, Americans looked to overseas events not just wondering what would happen to the Central Powers and the Allies but also asking how European events would affect Americans at home

Recordings of war experiences are commonplace in most cultures; in Western literature, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey established the tradition of describing the events of war and the return of the victor after the conflict. The “Great War” of 1914-18 is unique in the volume of life writings that it inspired, and in the re-evaluation of the heroic warrior that it brought abou

The 520 items in this collection comprise a Propaganda Poster collection primarily consisting of images from 1914-1945, the start of World War I to the end of World War II. Prior to the advent of broadcast radio and television, governments looked to other media to communicate information to their citizens. One of the most eye-catching formats is the propaganda poster, the use of which peaked during World War I and remained pervasive through World War II.